This is another in a series of reviews of new books on Middle Eastern affairs. We asked Dr. Gail Weigl, an APN volunteer and a professor of art history, to review Abbie Rosner’s new book about the Arab cuisine of Israel’s Galilee, and about the power of food as a bridge between people.  

APN's Ori Nir interviews Abbie Rosner.

Abbie Rosner, Breaking Bread in Galilee: A Culinary Journey into the Promised Land (Hilayon Press, 2012). 238 pages. $15.00

Although the average reader probably would not choose to emulate the laborious food gathering and preparation described in Abbie Rosner’s appealing book, the author herself emerges as a woman it would be delightful to know. From her passion for learning about the traditional food ways of her Bedouin and fellaheen (subsistence farmers) neighbors, to her deep and informed appreciation for the agricultural and culinary practices they preserve, Ms. Rosner’s respect for and tireless curiosity about the customs preserved in Israel’s Upper Galilee is both astounding and inspiring.

Listen to the APN interview with Liat Schlesinger, who heads the Investigative Research Department at Molad, a progressive Israeli think tank, on a report she recently authored on the phenomenon known as Price Tag.

Listen to the August 6th Briefing Call with:

Hagit Ofran
Peace Now Settlement Watch Director

Hagit discussed the latest developments in regard to Israeli settler extremists, settlements in the West Bank and Israeli government settlement construction policy, as well as Peace Now’s recent rally against Jewish terrorism and incitement, other recent successful Peace Now activities.

Listing to a recording: Hagit Ofran briefing 6 Aug 2015

Interview with Iran expert Meir Javedanfar. An Iranian-born Israeli who co-authored a book on Iran's leadership and teaches courses on contemporary Iranian politics at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Javedanfar is well-positioned to analyze attitudes toward the agreement both in Israel and in Iran. The interview is about 10 minutes long.

Interview with Barbara Slavin, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, an Iran policy expert, on the impact of the new agreement on Iran and on prospects that the new agreement may serve to stimulate reform in Iran, going beyond Iran's nuclear ambitions. The interview is about 8 minutes long.

Interview with Joe Cirincione, the President of the Ploughshares Fund and one of Washington's leading experts on the diplomatic efforts to block Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The interview is about 5 minutes long. It was conducted right after the Iran deal was announced.

Interview with Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, upon her return from Vienna, shortly after a deal has been reached with Iran to block it from acquiring nuclear weapons. The interview is about ten minutes long.

This is another in a series of reviews of new books on Middle Eastern affairs. We asked Dr. Gail Weigl, an APN volunteer and a professor of art history, to review Sandy Tolan's new book about young Palestinian using the power of music to transform their lives under occupation.

APN's Ori Nir interviews Sandy Tolan.

Sandy Tolan, Children of the Stone: The Power of Music in a Hard Land (New York, 2015). 438 pages. $28.00.

Sandy Tolan’s Children of the Stone: The Power of Music in a Hard Land reads like fiction, but is a meticulously documented work of non-fiction, as the author makes clear in his introduction to the extensive source notes.  While the book remains focused throughout on the main protagonist, Ramzi Aburedwan, his musical training and successful effort to bring the healing power of music to the Palestinian communities of the Israeli Occupied Territories, equal – if not more attention – is devoted to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from the founding of Israel to the present.  The stage for Ramzi’s story is never-ending physical and emotional violence perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the Israeli government and IDF. That history is interconnected with the more or less extensive stories of many Palestinians, Europeans and Americans devoted to music as the means to assuage Palestinian suffering and restore Palestinian honor and identity.

On July 1, 2015, Prof. Ami Pedahzur of the University of Texas at Austin, an expert on Israel's radical right, briefed APN on his recent research regarding the West Bank settlers' power and influence in Israeli public life.